Chapter 7 - New York perspectives of medical cannabis laboratory analysis

Abstract

The New York Cannabis testing program grew out of the need to supply safe, high-quality medical marijuana to New York patients. The absence of U.S. Federal regulations and standards for cannabis laboratory testing unlocked the opportunity for innovative test method development but presented a regulatory environment devoid of most standard-quality safeguards. State-level laboratory regulations and test methods were developed to ensure safety and quality of the initially anticipated medicinal product forms. The rapid growth in commercial products with their individual formulations and nonstandardized manufacturing proved to be one of the biggest challenges for laboratory testing. Differences in product matrices affect every laboratory test from cannabinoid content to microbiology. Highly accurate and reproducible cannabinoid potency determinations were easier to achieve than contaminant testing. Additionally, excipient quality, label contents, the presence of nonregulated microbial species, packaging materials, and vape device variability are all pieces of the laboratory test evaluated product quality environment.